Gorby Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 If you want a low cost, good quality airbrush I would recommend the Harder & Steenbeck Ultra. Unlike the Iwata Neo, it doesn't have that silly little nut holding it together and having owned and used both, the I much prefer the Ultra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 At least you broke the nozzel on a cheap airbrush and not an expensive one. As somebody has said their very easy to break, I don't know why they even put a spanner in there to remove them, Iwata do the same. Get your self a Iwata nozzel removal tool, they will fit the other makes too https://www.air-craft.net/acatalog/Iwata-Nozzle-Wrench.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI842i15Ch3gIVTbvtCh3OYgM4EAQYAiABEgINYPD_BwE 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andmarsh Posted October 25, 2018 Author Share Posted October 25, 2018 2 hours ago, Gorby said: If you want a low cost, good quality airbrush I would recommend the Harder & Steenbeck Ultra. Unlike the Iwata Neo, it doesn't have that silly little nut holding it together and having owned and used both, the I much prefer the Ultra. funny you should say that - i ordered one last night lol was going to go with the Iwata Neo until i realised it had that tiny nozzle as well 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorby Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 1 minute ago, andmarsh said: funny you should say that - i ordered one last night lol was going to go with the Iwata Neo until i realised it had that tiny nozzle as well You won't regret it, great bit of kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andmarsh Posted October 25, 2018 Author Share Posted October 25, 2018 Just now, Gorby said: You won't regret it, great bit of kit. hope so - that cheap thing gave me so much grief, even found cleaning it a pig, would you recommend one of those ultrasonic cleaners? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorby Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 (edited) I give mine a brief clean after every colour and a full strip down clean every couple of days. Apparently you should strip it all down and clean it at the end of every day of use, but I've not had any problems. I don't use an ultrasonic cleaner myself, but I know people who do and think they are great. If you aren't sure how to clean it, there are many videos on Youtube. Not every one does it the same way, so watch two or three and decide which method suits you best. I recommend getting (if you haven't already): Cleaning brushes Back flushing cap which helps with cleaning I've also got a nozzle cleaning needle but I'm pretty sure I didn't pay that price. If you keep it clean and treat it carefully (particularly the needle) and it will last years. I've just noticed there are loads of cheap airbrush nozzle cleaning needles on Amazon which should work just as well. When you use it, don't apply any pressure, just insert the point and twirl it. Edited October 25, 2018 by Gorby addition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmwh548 Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 I'm using the Ultra too as my go to tool. Very nice cheap airbrush buuuut (there has to be one): get the nozzle and needle caps from the Infinity (with the pinch prong collar or whatever they call it). I can give you the number parts when I get home if you can't find it. It makes life a lot easier when you do a long spraying session. Also you'll need a valve with air adjustment (preferably an H&S one) it saves you the trouble of moving to the compressor all the time. And check the adjustment on the part that needle slides through (the one with the PTFE seal inside the airbrush). Mine wasn't screwed in enough and paint was leaking towards the trigger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorby Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 Personally, if you're on a tight budget like me, I'd just use it with the parts as it arrives before you decide to change the nozzle and caps. Some of the extras can be quite expensive and although they may be nice, I've managed fine with mine with all the original parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andmarsh Posted October 25, 2018 Author Share Posted October 25, 2018 i will see how i go with the standard setup , then make a decision on any extras Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TapChan Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 This is my cheap Iwata clone, €40 wasted, could've burn it in the fireplace. I realized it after a year of newbie airbrushing and constant problems/fails. As it came with two sets of needle/nozzle (0,3 and 0,2) I've switched them and looks just the same. For me it seems that either nozzle cap is not following the axis or whole nozzle base is not straight. I bet on second one because as I progress with screwing in air cap and look from the front I can see nozzle sticking to one side only. Plus after a year of painting and using not very aggressive thinners/cleaners I notice the paint keep leaking backwards through the needle nest seal. It must be of a very poor quality, now the paint leaks backward and dries there so after a day or two the whole mechanism is getting stuck and I have to use a bit of force to pull the needle and to clean it. On the other hand I bought GSI Creos Procon Boy WA and it works just perfectly, PTFE needle seal is doing well, no problems with cleaning or clogging, paint atomisation is just outstanding. If i can advise you then never buy cheap airbrush for beginning. You'll never know if the problem is on your side or on the tool side. Problems unheard of anywhere in good airbrushes may make you dislike painting. I know it from experience, I have started airbrushing about 5 years ago but after 2,5 models and painting problems I quit and came back just recently. If I was to choose cheap airbrush for beginning then I'd probably go for Sparmax SP-35C, they at least have some quality control and spare parts are realitvely cheap in EU. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmwh548 Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 Both Chinese cheapos, both are 0.3mm nozzles. The first one is the same one andmarsh bought. Used the first one for about two years with no major issues and decent results. Then again, I do modern civilian vehicles, so it's not very demanding from the airbrushes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbyrockett Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 When you change sizes on the this brush. You swap the needle , nozzle and aircap. The aircap would be the first piece to go back on in your picture. Make sure your not using the one for the .3 The difference between this and more expensive ones is mostly machining tolerance And yep, if you broke it you would have broken a $500 brush just as easily. So I would just consider it a valuable learning tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TapChan Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 (edited) There is no separate aircap, only one included in the set. You forgot that beside the machining tolerance there comes also matherials quality. I believe such thing wouldn't even pass quality control in i.e. Iwata or wherever they produce Tamiyas and Procons. Edited November 2, 2018 by TapChan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbyrockett Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, TapChan said: There is no separate aircap, only one included in the set. You forgot that beside the machining tolerance there comes also matherials quality. I believe such thing wouldn't even pass quality control in i.e. Iwata or wherever they produce Tamiyas and Procons. Yikes, that's worse than I thought. This is a slightly different build then the Chinese versions I am used to then. The pic shows another aircap in the .5 nozzle container..... Yeah there's lots of minor differences but by and large the biggest is tolerances. Which leads to oringed nozzles that don't center without extra work. Drilled rather than reemed aircap holes that are rough and not actually round etc etc. Edited November 2, 2018 by Robbyrockett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmwh548 Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 2 hours ago, TapChan said: There is no separate aircap, only one included in the set. You forgot that beside the machining tolerance there comes also matherials quality. I believe such thing wouldn't even pass quality control in i.e. Iwata or wherever they produce Tamiyas and Procons. There's separate aircaps in the box. One for the 0.2 and 0.3 nozzles and one for the 0.5 nozzle. As for material quality... brass is brass. I know people using this airbrush type for more than ten years and never broke a nozzle. If you overtighten it, it can be the most expensive Iwata, you'll still break it. Probably why Iwata decided to offer the free floating nozzle in the Eclipse range. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbyrockett Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 (edited) 3 hours ago, bmwh548 said: There's separate aircaps in the box. One for the 0.2 and 0.3 nozzles and one for the 0.5 nozzle. As for material quality... brass is brass. I know people using this airbrush type for more than ten years and never broke a nozzle. If you overtighten it, it can be the most expensive Iwata, you'll still break it. Probably why Iwata decided to offer the free floating nozzle in the Eclipse range. There are tiny differences with the materials. For instance some needles have micro garbage inclusions and can't ever be polished out. Orings can be molded with more filler, or of a cheaper substance altogether. It's not a real triple chrome job. Springs sometimes fatigue more easily. generally though materials I find to be very very close. Especially giving that an airbrush doesn't exactly push the limits of the materials anyhow for the most part. Edited November 2, 2018 by Robbyrockett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nheather Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 On 11/2/2018 at 5:03 PM, bmwh548 said: As for material quality... brass is brass. I know people using this airbrush type for more than ten years and never broke a nozzle. If you overtighten it, it can be the most expensive Iwata, you'll still break it. Probably why Iwata decided to offer the free floating nozzle in the Eclipse range. Agree with that, everytime I remove the tiny nozzles I wince, especially with the price of Iwata ones. Prompted me to get the Iwata nozzle tool - think there is less chance of damage than with a spanner - also easier to align so you don’t strip the threads. Cheers, Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longweight Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 Try this bloke Don Wheeler...he's the guru of airbrushes....https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/home Also have a look at the Iwata Neo entry level airbrush. I just bought one off ebay at a very good price. They are chinese made under contract to Iwata Anest. I got mine as a spare/backup and I am quite satisfied with it although I normally use an Iwata HP-CS or Badger 100. I have a few of those chinese knock offs that came with other kit usually and all need fettling or using for purposes other than modelling (eg spraying insecticide in hard to reach spots....)but you can be lucky occasionally. HTH John H, in tropical Brisbane...too hot to spray! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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